Here’s a story from Reason about the Keystone Cops of the TSA, as they deal with the horrific threat of a belt buckle shaped like…(gasp)…a ray gun.

Award-winningvideographer Sean Malone had a raygun belt buckle confiscated recently by the good folks at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)….Malone emails that the pinch happened at LAX: …They called it a “replica” of a weapon…. the guy said, “Yeah, there’s something in there that’s kind of shaped like a gun,” to which I replied, “Yeah. It’s a belt buckle.”… He pulled it out of the bag and looked at it. Yep. Belt buckle….he called his supervisor over, who…said, “Listen, you can either go back out of security and put this in your check luggage (which I don’t have), or we’ll confiscate it.” …I looked at her and said, “You understand that this is a belt buckle, right? It is not a danger to the safety of anyone nor is it against the law to carry….At this point, she got red in the face and loudly declared that she wasn’t going to argue with me or “have a debate about this”.

Reminds me of the time I was given a bottle of 100 percent maple syrup as my honorarium for giving a speech in New Hampshire, yet was forced to leave it at the airport because the TSA bureaucrats said my only other choice was to check my bag (which would have cost $25).

If a raygun belt buckle is scary to the TSA, you won’t be surprised to learn that kitty cat key chains also are very frightening.

Even when in the hands of famous people.

This time the victim was HBO star Lena Dunham. She was carrying a Super Scary Terroristy Kitty Cat Keychain. The TSA, ever-vigilant, pounced. But it wasn’t enough that they found the Terrorist Keychain; no, they also detained her. And called the police. Yes…, they summoned the police because of a keychain.

I’ve never understood why Lena Dunham is a star, but I certainly can sympathize with her frustration about mindless government stupidity.

Most people will agree that TSA bureaucrats can behave like empty-headed drones on occasion, but some of them simply shrug their shoulders and say that’s an inevitable part of government. In other words, we need airport security, so accept that it will be done foolishly.

That’s a semi-reasonable attitude. After all, I accept that the defense department will waste a lot of money, yet still want there to be national defense.

I only reach that conclusion, though, because even a wild-eyed libertarian like myself can’t quite see how the private sector can defend the country. But why does government need to be involved with airport security?

“Most people will agree that TSA bureaucrats can behave like empty-headed drones on occasion, but some of them simply shrug their shoulders and say that’s an inevitable part of government. In other words, we need airport security, so accept that it will be done foolishly.”

The second sentence does not logically follow the first. It is *not* a restatement of the first sentence in any way.

I for one am never surprised by the seemingly single mindedness of any government bureaucrat because that is the very nature of government. Collectivism cannot abide individual thought or action, not even cooperation. All collectivist action *must* be coerced (see “The God of the Machine”, “1984”, or a history of the Soviet Union) and government *is* collectivist even in the most freedom loving societies.

But recognizing that does not in any way indicate support for such a system.

Dan,
It’s a mixed bag my friend. Obviously, you want your daughter to be happy with her chosen life mate, but you are no longer the most important man in her life. Enjoy yourself. Dance the night away, but know that the malaise you feel the next day is not just a hang over, but the realization you are now second place.
I wish her well.
Let’s Play Two!
Jerry

“TSA bureaucrats can behave like empty-headed drones …”. I have probably said this before, but for a more complete understanding of this concept, read Ludwig von Mises 100-page book “Bureaucracy”. He points out that bureaucrats are not paid to think. In fact, they are paid to NOT think. They are paid to simply follow the rules. I boil it down to the following 3 prime directives that every bureaucrat must abide by:

So, TSA bureaucrats do behave like empty-headed drones because that is exactly what they are paid to do. I have no doubt that in the training the TSA agents received, some trainer boiled it all down for them to something like this: “if it even looks like a weapon, it isn’t allowed.” The ray gun for a belt buckle does, in fact, LOOK LIKE a weapon, so its confiscation is totally legitimate.

This, Mr. Dan, is the nature of bureaucracies and there is no need to wail against that nature any more than we would wail against dogs barking and cats meowing.

We can certainly wail about the existence of some of these bureaucracies, though.